Holder for supporting toilet articles



April 28,1959 v. J. LAzz'ARo 2,884,137 I HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING TO-ILET ARTICLES Filed Feb. 16, 1955 .0 w m N RH E2 0. V T m T L MA J ,M w B United States Patent HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING TOILET ARTICLES Vincent J. Lazzaro, Derby, Conn. Application February 16, 1955, Serial No. 488,454

4 Claims. (Cl. 211--65) This invention relates to a novel holder for supporting various toilet articles such as a toothbrush and dentifrice and the like.

It has long been a problem, particularly in bathrooms, to provide a convenient place to store the tooth paste or other dentifrice which has usually been laid on the edge of the basin or stored in the medicine chest so as to take up a large amount of shelf space therein.

Heretofore, efforts have been made to provide means for receiving the dentifrice and toothbrushes by providing a support on the back of the toothbrush rack into which the tube of tooth paste is laid. This has the disadvantage, however, of requiring touching of the brush in the removal of the tooth paste.

Other efforts have been to provide a separate container but this has been awkward and inconvenient and these complicated constructions have not presented the dentifrice in a position whereby it can be readily supported and handled by the user.

' An object of the present invention is to provide for a compact holder for supporting toilet articles such as toothbrush, a dentifrice and tumbler, whereby the said articles are independently accessible and whereby the dentifrice is supported in said holder in substantially upright position.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision of a relatively simple, compact, and inexpensive unit for supporting a toothbrush, dentifrice, and/or tumbler.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision of a novel combination toothbrush, tumbler and dentifrice holder whereby the dentifrice is readily accessible from the front and may be removed therefrom without disturbing or interfering with the toothbrushes or other articles supported thereon.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specifications and claims when considered with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the novel holder mounted in position for supporting toothbrushes, dentifrice and tumbler.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the body portion of the holder.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the body portion.

The invention herein illustrated and described relates to a novel, compact holder for use in a bathroom or the like for supporting various toilet articles such as any desired number of toothbrushes A, a container of dentifrice B and, if desired, a tumbler C. Thus, according to this invention, all the necessary toilet articles for brushing ones teeth are conveniently supported in a common unit wherein each article is readily accessible without disturbing or interfering with the other articles supported thereon.

According to this invention, the novel holder 10 consists of a hollow body portion 11 and means 12 whereby the body is secured to a supporting surface 13, such as for example a vertical wall of a bathroom or the like. While any desirable support means, such as a strip or the like, may be provided to secure the body portion to a supporting surface, it is herein illustrated as being mounted by a bracket 14 adapted to be secured to a wall, such as supporting surface 13, and having a hole 15 therein for receiving the body portion to removably support the body thereon. A pair of fasteners, such as screws 16, secures the bracket to the wall or the like supporting surface.

' The body portion 11 in accordance with this invention may take any desired shape or form, but as herein illustrated the body is frustro-conical in shape. The body has a top 17, a bottom 18 which is smaller in diameter than the top and a continuous, downwardly-tapered, enclosing wall 19 connecting the top and bottom to form a hollow container. To support the toothbrushes A the top is provided with any desired number of apertures 20 circumferentially spaced adjacent the marginal portions thereof to receive the handle portion of a toothbrush to support the same with the handle extending into the interior of the hollow body to be enclosed thereby and leaving only the bristle portion extending above the top 17. If desired, the top may be provided with a recessed portion 21 for receiving and supporting a tumbler C.

According to the present invention, means are provided for storing the dentifrice B on the holder in substantially vertical position and in a location which is readily accessible without disturbing or interfering with the toothbrushes and/or tumbler, if any, supported thereon. This is accomplished by providing the top 17 and enclosing wall 19 with cooperating cutout portions 22 and 23 respectively substantially as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, which provide an opening in the front of the body below the top so that a dentifrice may be vertically inserted therein and supported thereby. The cut-out portion 23 of the enclosing wall being of suflicient size to accommodate tubed, canned or bottled dentifrice of the various usual sizes. As shown in Fig. 1, the dentifrice is supported within the hollow portion of the body whereby the upper portion thereof is exposed so that it may be conveniently grasped. It will be further noted that the recessed portion of the top does not interfere with the insertion of the dentifrice into the body and that the body is supported in the bracket so that the lowest portion of the opening lies immediately above the bracket so that it does not obstruct any part of the opening or interfere with the insertion or removal of the dentifrice therefrom.

With this construction it will be noted that either a tube containing a tooth paste, or a can containing a powdered dentifrice, or a bottle containing a liquid dentifrice may be supported in the hollow portion of the body in a substantially upright position so that should, at any time during the use of the dentifrice, the cap or cover of the container containing the dentifrice be lost or displaced, the dentifrice may be supported in the holder without danger of the dentifrice spilling or otherwise coming out of the container when not in use.

Also, according to this invention, the various articles supported by the holder are independently accessible and may be used without the necessity of removing or interfering with the other articles supported thereby. As illustrated, the holder is made separate from the supporting bracket so that the holder may be removed from the bracket and readily cleaned by rinsing or the like.

In order that the holder may avoid accumulation of moisture or water, the recess portion 21 of the top 17 and the bottom 18 wall of the hollow body are provided with drain openings 24 and 25 respectively so that water may be automatically drained therefrom.

Thus it will be noted that the holder of the present invention is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and pleasing to the eye, and may be made of any suitable material such as glass, plastic, metal, porcelain, and the like, and colored or styled to match the decor of modern bath fixtures.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A holder for supporting toilet articles comprising a body having a top for supporting a tumbler, a bottom and a wall connecting the edges of said top and bottom and forming therewith a hollow container, the front of said top and enclosing wall portion having cut-away portions forming an opening into said body adapted to receive an article containing a dentifrice so that the article is supported in substantially upright position with a substantial portion of said article exposed and readily accessible, said top being provided with a plurality of apertures adjacent the marginal edge portion thereof, each aperture being adapted for receiving a handle portion of a tooth brush.

2. In a combination tumbler, tooth brush and dentifrice holder, a body having a top of large diameter, a bottom of lesser diameter, and a downwardly tapering wall connecting the edges of said top and bottom and forming therewith a truncated substantially conical hollow container, said top and adjacent enclosing wall having cutaway portions forming an opening into the hollow container for receiving and supporting therein an article containing a dentifrice in substantially upright position so that a portion of the article is exposed and readily accessible, and said top having a recess formed therein for receiving and supporting a tumbler and a plurality of apertures disposed between the recess and marginal edge portions thereof, each aperture being adapted for receiving a handle of a tooth brush, said articles each being freely and independently accessible without disturbing any of the others.

3. In a combination tumbler, tooth brush and dentifrice holder, a body having a top of large diameter, a bottom of lesser diameter, and a downwardly tapering wall connecting the edges of said top and bottom and forming therewith a truncate-d substantially conical hollow container, said top and adjacent enclosing wall having cutaway portions forming an opening into the hollow container for receiving and supporting therein an article containing a dentifrice in substantially upright position so that a portion of the article is exposed and readily accessible, said top having a recess formed therein for receiving and supporting a tumbler and a plurality of apertures disposed between the recess and marginal edge portions thereof, each aperture being adapted for receiving a handle of a tooth brush, and means for supporting said body on a supporting surface.

4. In a combination tumbler, tooth brush and dentifrice holder, a body having a top of large diameter, a bottom of lesser diameter having a drain opening therein, and a downwardly tapering wall connecting the edges of said top and bottom and forming therewith a truncated substantially conical hollow container, said topand adjacent enclosing wall having a cut-away portion forming an opening into the hollow container for receiving and supporting therein an article containing a dentifrice in sub stantially upright position so that a portion of the article is exposed and readily accessible, said top having a flange portion surrounding a recess formed therein for receiving and supporting a tumbler, said recess having a drain opene ing in the bottom portion thereof, said flange portion having a plurality of apertures disposed between the recess and marginal edge portions thereof, each aperture being adapted for receiving a handle of a tooth brush, and means for supporting said body on a supporting surface, said means comprising a bracket forming a ring for embracing the conical body portion below the dentifrice receiving opening formed in the enclosing wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,206,321 Hammesfahr Nov. 28, 1916 1,530,599 Hampson Mar. 24, 1925 1,975,691 Hibbs Oct. 2, 1934 2,074,248 Barbour Mar. 16, 1937 2,415,447 Stanton Feb. 11, 1947 2,500,905 Raykoff Mar. 14, 1950 

